The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1887-05-13

4lU Was q pIoVVy hSVtt,O OOy WieH oTiSIlU
eyes and long, tangled hair. He wore
no hat. and his leet were bare and
brown.
What a funny little oysterl" said
the boy, picking up the sick little oys-
ter; ''it is no bigger than my thumb,
and 1t is very pale"
Throw it away" said one OF the
men. Like as not it is bad and not
fit to eat.
"No, keep it and send it out West
for o Blue Point" said the other man
what a heartless wretch he was!
But the little boy had already
thrown the sick little oyster over
board. She fell in shallow water, and
the rising tide carried her still further
towards shore until she lodged against
an old gunboat that lay half buried
in the sand There were no other
oysters in sight. Her head ached and
she was Very weak; how lonesome,
too, she was-yet anything was better
than being eaten-at least so thought
the little oyster, and SO. presume,
think you.
For many weeks and many months
the sick little oyster lay hard by the
old gum boot, and in that time she
made many acquaintance and friends
among the crabs, the Holsters, the fid-
dlers, the star. fish, the waves, the
shells, and the gay little fishes OF the
ocean. They did not harm her for
they saw that she was sick; they pit
led her-some loved her The one
who loved her most WAS the perch
with green fins that attended school
every day in the academic shade OF
the big rocks in the quiet cove about
mile away. He was very gentle and
attentive, and every afternoon he
brought fresh, cool seafoam for the
sick oyster to eat; he told her pretty
Esstories, too--stories which his grand.
mothet, the venerable Goldfish, had
told him OF the sea king. the mer-
maids, the pixies, the water sprites, and
other Enthusiastically beautiful dwellers
in ocean-depths. Now while all this
was very pleasant, the sick litJle oys-
ter knew that the perch's wooing was
hopless, for she WAS very i'll and help
less, md could never think OF becom-
ing burden upon one as young and
SO promising as the gallant perch with
green fins. But when she spoke to
him in this strain, he would not listen;
he kept right on bringing her more and
more seafoam every day.
The old gum boot was quite q moth
erly creature, and anon the sick little
oyster became very much attacked to
her Many times as the little invalid
rested her aching head afectionately
on the instep OF the old gum boot, the
old gum boot told her stories of the
world beyond the sea; how she had
been born IN q mighty forest, and how
proud her folks were OF their family
tree; how she had been taken from
that forest and moulded into the
shape she now bore; how she had
graced and served a foot in am
| phibions capacities, until atlast, nav
Ing seen many things and having
Travelled much, she had beon cast off
and hurled into the sen to be the
scorn oil every crab and the derision
OF every fish. These stories were oil
new to the little oyster, and amazing,
too; she knew only OF the sea, having
lived therein all her life. She in turn
| told the old gum boot quaint legends
of the ocean, thesimple tales she had
heard in her early home, and there
was sweetness and q simplicity in
these stories OF the deep that charm
ed the old gum boot, shriveled and
| hardened and pessimistic though she
Was,
Yet, ip spite OF 1T all-the kindness,
the care, the am4sements, and the de-
yotion of her friends--the little oyster
remained always a sick and Fragile
thing. But no one heard her com
plain, fprshe bore her suffering patient
Not lar from this beach where the
ocean ended its long travels there was
a city, and in this city there dwelt
with her parents II maiden Of thename
of Margaret. From infancy she had
been sickly, and although she had now
reached the years OF early womanbocd,
she could not run or walk about as
Others did, but she had to be wheeled
hither and thitheF in q chair. This
was very sad, yet Margaret was SO
gentle and accomplishing that from
aught she said you never would have
tilopght her life was full OF
suffering. sesing her helplessness,
the symathetic things OF nature had
compassion and were very good to
Margaret. Thesunbeams stole across
her pathway everywhere, the grass
clustered thlckest end greenest where
she went, the winds caressed her gem
tly as they passed, and the birds
loved to perch neap her window and
sing their prettiest songs, Margaret
loved them all--the sunlight, the sing.
| ing winds, the egrass, hecaroling birds;
she communed with them. their wis
dom inspired her life, and this wisdom
gave her nature rare beauty.
Every pleasant day Margaret was
wheeled from her home in tbs city
down to the beach, and there for hours
she would sit, looking out. far out up,
on the ocean. as if she were commun-
ing with the ocean spirits that lifted up
their white arms from the restless
waters and beekoned her to come.
Dftentimes the children playing on
the beach came where Margaret sat,
and heard her tell little stories OF the
| pebbles and the shells, OF the ships
away ont ut sea, OF the ever-speedinq
gulls, ofthe grass, OF the flowers, Of the
other beautiful things OF life; and SO
| in time the children cams to love
Margaret.
Among those who so often gathered
to hear the gentle sick girl tell her
pretty stories was youth OF NIarga-
ret's age older than the Others, a
youth Of sturdy frame and g face full
of candor and earnestness. Hisname
was Edward, aud he was u student
III the city; he hoped to become great
scholar sometime, and he toiled very
zealously to that end. The patience this
geni!eness, thesweet simplicity, the for
titnde OF The sick girl charmed him
| He found in her LITTLE stories n quaint
| and beautiful philosophy he never yet
had found in books; there WAS q gal9l
in iar life he never yet had read OF in
histories. So, every day she came
and sat upon the beach, Edward came,
| top, and with the childre.4 be heard
Mafgaret's stories of the sea, the air,
the grass, the birds, and the flowers.
From her moist eyrie in the surf the
old gum boot described the groGp up
on thu beach each pleasant day. Now
the old gum boot had sesn epaigh Of
the world to know thing or twe, as
We presently shall see.